Innovative and integrated solutions to mitigate hydro morphological pressures and enhance ecological status in the Lima and Vouga basins

forthcoming

"Hydro morphological pressures are among the most common threats to riverine environments, and their effects are exacerbated by climate change, contributing to a major degradation of these ecosystems. River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) target them as priorities to achieve good ecological status, as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Nature Restoration Law. The main objective of LIFE REVIVE is to develop innovative and integrated solutions and strategies to mitigate hydro morphological pressures previously identified in RBMP and, thus, enhance the ecological status of affected areas. LIFE REVIVE focuses on two main Portuguese river basins, Lima and Vouga, for which multiple pressures were identified as affecting local ecological status. To achieve its main objectives, LIFE REVIVE will: i) Test novel solutions to identify, prioritise and implement actions to restore longitudinal connectivity; ii) Develop and apply an innovative protocol to control invasive aquatic flora in different habitats; iii) Accelerate the recovery of ecological status, by restoring habitat and strengthen populations of indicator fish species; iv) Propose for ""closer-to-nature"" Environmental Flow Regime in dam discharges; and v) Develop innovative strategies, actions and tools to disseminate and transfer projects outputs, and replicate these solutions, by fostering awareness to the threats affecting aquatic ecosystems and capacitating stakeholders on the best practices to mitigate them. LIFE REVIVE will evolve from the state of the art by implementing an integrated approach, in which in situ and ex situ innovative methods will be jointly applied to meet the goals of main directives and strategies related with the management of aquatic ecosystems, at regional, national and European levels."